U.S., Asia: What Culture Gap?
In preparation for a two-week trip my associates and I were taking to visit our associates and clients in Asia, our Learning and Development department gave us a cultural briefing on the differences between the way we do business and the way people do business in Asia. We practiced eating gummy bears with chopsticks, learned how to receive and give business cards with two hands, and were instructed on when and where to bow.
The briefing was great. However, having just returned from the trip, my conclusion regarding doing business and implementing travel management in Asia is this: Nothing is different between Asia and the rest of the world. Sure, when it comes to exchanging business cards, it's nice to do as in China when in China. However, when it comes to travel management-no matter where you are in the world-all that corporations and travelers truly want is exceptional service. All they want to do is work with companies, and travel with people, they can trust. In other words, they want to do business with friends.
Cultural differences simply don't exist when you're working with nice people. All people like working with nice people. This is the premise that Rosenbluth International always has worked under, and our trip to Asia confirmed to me even more that we're doing the right thing.
I was a little nervous about whether or not we would feel truly comfortable working with our associates and clients throughout Asia, given the assumed differences. We went on this trip to finalize deals in China and Taiwan to provide Rosenbluth service to corporations in those countries. During our briefing with L&D, we learned that we probably wouldn't be able to joke around with our associates there in the same way that we do here. "They're very concerned about the politics of socializing with associates above and below them," I was told. Two nights in karaoke bars in Shanghai and Japan proved that wrong!
Yes, we were all out together as friends on a social basis. However, we were back in our respective offices the next day signing our deals and announcing our new ventures to the media-and having a great time doing it. The trust and friendships that we built before and during the trip was reflected through the ease of our business dealings, and the support we provided each other as we accomplished our objectives.
When it comes to travel management, we should no longer view cultural differences as an obstacle. If your associates' heads and hearts are all in the same place when it comes to working for your clients, those clients, in turn, will receive consistent service, technology and information when dealing with your company.
Rosenbluth clients, whether in Taiwan, China, Japan or any other country in Asia, can access their reservation through any one of our agents anywhere in the world because we invested millions of dollars years ago to create the Rosenbluth International Global Distribution Network. Our clients trust our seamless technology and commitment to providing exceptional service. Mainly, though, they trust us because they know they're working with friends.
If you want to successfully implement travel management in Asia, then implement seamless, worldwide technology. More importantly, hire nice people, who develop relationships based on trust. This is what we have found our associates and clients want. You'll be surprised about how much you can accomplish that way.
<I>Hal Rosenbluth is president and CEO of Rosenbluth International.